What You Hold Most Dear
by G0tika
Summary: The battle between lost brothers at the Valley of the End had come to a dark conclusion. Sakura arrives at the scene, but must make a life-altering decision - to save the life of just one of her teammates, or to sacrifice herself for the sake of them both, and the shinobi world itself? The behind-the-panels story we never saw. [1st Person POV!]


_A/N: The ending of our beloved manga was FAST, wasn't it? ;) Well, I'm here to cover what happened behind the scenes, from the perspective of both a loyal fan of Naruto's main themes (courage, never giving up, friendship, self-improvement) as well as a hopeless romantic. This is not an alternate ending. Rather, this is a sort of "behind the scenes" of what happened between the panels. Since poor Sakura got hit the hardest by the ending, she will have the honor of telling you what really happened. Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto._

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 1: The Pact<em>**

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><p>I was not sure what I felt then. The last rays of sunlight were finally making it through the clouds as the valley became illuminated with early morning dew. The rush of the waterfall was muffled by the thumping of my heart. The people whom I felt dearest to were there - they were alive, thank God, I could sense their hearts beating slowly, as if hanging on to the last reserves of their chakra, as I jumped through the rocks.<p>

I mentally calculated my own chakra - I did not have much left. Enough to save a person of the verge of dying, but not enough to save two. I was barely able to move my own body, but the power of will, and something else - something desperate - was moving my feet of their own accord.

Finally, I saw them. They were unrecognizable. Their features were distorted in pitiful grimaces covered with bruises, cuts, and seeping ooze. _At least I can tell them apart due to the color of their hair_, I thought sardonically, thinking hard. Would my remaining chakra be enough to help them both?

I had expected this, but I could not have anticipated what I saw when I finally got to their level. Perhaps they were not brothers related by blood, but now they certainly shared it. It was a gruesome scene, and my byakugō burned like incense, signaling danger.

I assessed the situation; they were unconscious, and just barely alive. There was Sasuke, the darkness that haunted me like a shadow, the darkness I had once wanted to shake him from myself. But next to him lay the real hero - the bravest one I know. And it will be my fault... my fault alone... if he never again opens those fantastic blue eyes of his which looked at me so earnestly.

I carefully positioned my hands on the chests of my teammates, releasing my medical chakra into their systems, and then quickly sealed the bloody opening of their arms. But it wouldn't be enough. I knew it. It wouldn't be enough to sustain them both.

Panic gripped me in a flash of cold like a sharp razor against my cheeks. _Those people in the infinite Tsukiyomi... our friends... Tsunade... Lee... Ino... they would all be gone forever if any one of these two dies._ My now blurry gaze darted at Kakashi-sensei; he looked gobsmacked as to what to do, just as shocked as me. I had never seen Kakashi-sensei in such a state of utter helplessness.

Well, this was my chance... I knew my chakra was at its limit... there was little more I could give the two without hurting myself, and their systems were still circulating with much difficulty. If not given more chakra, they would surely die.

Suddenly, a thought gripped me._ I could save Naruto with the little remaining chakra I have left._ But that would mean I would not have any to heal Sasuke-kun - the one who had just put me in a very uncomfortable genjutsu that still burned in my eyelids. It had a highly bitter aftertaste.

_I was my twelve-year-old self, again. I had followed Sasuke at night, when he sneaked out when nobody was looking. I just had a feeling he would. I hoped I could convince him to stay - to stop chasing that horrible man - thing. I cried out to him many times, and Sasuke replied by calling me annoying. The last thing I knew was him saying "thank you" - and then watching him walk away, lying limply on he ground, my eyes open but completely paralyzed, unable to move any of my limbs. _

_Then, it repeated. Over and over and over._

Sasuke-kun is a horrid man for putting me through that. But he means so much to Naruto... he means so much to the shinobi world, because only together can they undo the infinite Tsukiyomi... _What should I do?! If I was pushed to decide, as if choosing between life and death, I, as a believer in peace and kindness, would have probably saved Naruto... _

I threw my guilty thoughts into the abyss, and shook my head. I was not thinking straight. There was only one option: to save them both.

"Kakashi-sensei..." I uttered, "You know... I don't have enough chakra to heal them both..."

But the older man did not look too surprised at this; he seemed to have registered my frustration and was already thinking hard about the problem.

"Sakura... there is something you can do... something I believe Tsunade must have told you about..."

I looked at him, racking my brain for possible ailments, techniques, anything...

"Kurama... at this state... is only using up chakra to survive, and not giving it; Naruto has wasted too much to sustain the fox normally. And Sasuke... the chakra within him, that was so strong from his hatred, is now almost replete... the only thing to do is perform a forbidden seal I have learned from the third Hokage," Kakashi went on, his voice becoming harder with each word.

I stared at him, dumbfounded, the pale green light from my hands now diminishing even more. I watched the breaths of the young men become shallow and raspy. Their eyelids fluttered faintly in the breeze.

"I..." I started, "I will do _anything_! Anything to bring them back! Just tell me what it is, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi grew pale, but I still could not read his expression. Uncertainty... Fear... _Regret?_

"Sakura," he finally said gravely, "This... might be unpleasant -"

"I don't care, just what is it?!" I screamed out impatiently. Why was he hesitating? I need to help them! NOW! And I have already gone through every possible medical jutsu, but I do not have much chakra left, and neither does Kakashi! I could not extract any from him, or use my own, without potentially fatal results. And what good is a dead medic? I need to be there to make sure the two make it.

"WHAT IS IT?" I looked fiercely at Kakashi-sensei. He was a bit taken aback, but said nothing. I was about to scream, "SHANNAR...", when I realized Kakashi was making handseals. Then, he reached over to my shoulder, which I had cut upon a tree branch while running here. It was bleeding, but I did not notice in my hurry to help my beloved teammates. The lack of chakra only increased the blood seeping down from my shoulder.

Kakashi, with my blood, begin to draw some kanji between the bodies of my teammates, and other symbols I did not know. I could vaguely comprehend what was going on, I was still trying to give tiny bits of chakra to my patients, but it was hard. With every little bit, my own body was growing weaker. I knew I could not continue, but my medic ninja heart was too stubborn to give up on life. The life of my two best friends... the life of an angel and a demon, both of whom I loved deeply and unconditionally until today... when I realized, finally realized, at the moment of choice, who I loved more.

Kakashi-sensei stepped aside, and I watched as a translucent figure, glowing in shades of blue and silver, began to rise above the two bodies.

"KAGUYA?!" I screamed in utter dismay and confusion. What was this terrible being doing here? Kakashi summoned her... WHY? Why not summon Madara while he is at it?

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice was calm, but I could hear something uneasy in it, "This is not Kaguya. This is the shinigami. I used the Dead Seal Consuming Seal to summon him."

_The shinigami... why..._ Then I saw the sharp-edged tantō glistening in the creature's mouth, and though it was certainly similar to Kaguya, it did not take care of its shaggy white mane as much. But there was so much coldness emanating from the thing, I shivered.

The creature began to speak, but it seemed to be speaking only to _me_, not through words, but through its almost magnetic, petrifying chakra...

"Medic-nin... you have began the pact..."

My mind raced. What pact? Will it help them?

"I will give you back the lives of the two, connected by blood... in exchange for what you hold most dear..."

_What do I hold most dear? Naruto and Sasuke?_ _That makes no sen..._

"...most precious, and most necessary for your soul..."

_What? What is?_ I trembled, watching the faces of my two teammates, as if somehow hoping to see a flicker of life there, for them to open their eyes and talk to me.

"...which gives you hope for the future, that which inspires you and guides you, cherishes and nourishes you..."

I grunted, the pain in my chest growing, and finally letting green light diminish completely.

"...Your bond with Naruto."

What? My thoughts were jumbled, but this came as an utter shock.

_NO! NO!_ I wanted to scream, but no sound came from my mouth.

_But I lo - _

A bright spark enveloped the valley, blocking out the two bodies and Kakashi-sensei from my view. Suddenly lightheaded, I felt the tugging at my chest to be stronger. It was too late.

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><p><strong><em>To be continued... what will happen to Sakura, now that she is sacrificing something important for her teammates?<em>**

_Thank you for reading~! Reviews and feedback are really appreciated, let me know what you think of this being from first person POV! ^_^ Next chapter to be published by 1/17/14._


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